A Great New Leader Is About To Emerge -By Richard Odusanya

It has become obvious that it is politics that drives the economies of nations. Hence the major difference between developed countries and developing countries is in their political evolution. Developed countries have political and economic systems that are inclusive and offer opportunities for most people to create wealth. However, most developing economies have political and economic systems that are extractive. Those in the ruling class have a strong hold on political power, and use it to channel economic resources to benefit themselves and those close to them.

People who earn and use power wisely have a profound impact on everyone they encounter. Yet, they achieve this power only because they exert so much influence inside, on themselves. We see only their outside; we see them innovate, speak their mind, and propel themselves forward toward bigger and better things. Yet, we’re missing the best part. The confidence and wherewithal that make their influence possible are earned. In many examples, it seems as if the right man for the job seems to emerge almost magically to take control of a situation and lead a group of people into safety or success.

A great new leadership is about to emerge to rectify the mistakes of the past and rejig Nigeria for stability, greater efficiency, productivity, and prosperity. Old narratives about discrimination and marginalization are about to change. No one will be left behind. God works in mysterious ways, using unlikely instruments to perform His wonders. I went back to read the account of the Jan 1966 coup and it is apparent that we still have the same problems today as we did then. Our society has been infected for a long time, in fact it was entrenched by ethnicity and religion. It is a cancer that is so insidious in nature and form.

Until we get rid of the mentality they betrothed to us, we would never be able to live well and peacefully. What happens in this country is a serious idiosyncratic destructive social-political and economic capitalism. The Yorubas are very quick to support bad systems and institutions, while deadly in their destruction of persons and personalities; the Igbos turn school age kids into apprentice traders while the northerners are comfortable with person underdevelopment of their people. These are the logs in the Nigerian fire and the root of the ills of our society.

Ironically, we seems to be comfortable with replacing our fore-parents with our well-trained and educated children in the service of those who distorted and directly/indirectly sowed the seed of our current situation. We will regret this, and our children would blame us when that time arrives; it is easy to say, as I often hear from our so-called educated that by now we should stop blaming slavery and colonialism. Yet, the same people, i.e. all of us, owe our feeling of achievement and superiority to the language, education, religion, mannerism and economic leaning to the colonial heritage given us to replace what we understand.

Personally, I see nothing wrong in ambition and would prefer to hire a person who wants to do the job at hand. All those aspiring to be president of Nigeria are politicians and have the right to say ‘Emilokan’. If they can convince the people to elect them then good luck to them. This is what people do when they compete for promotion to high office of any kind; even in sports, you must be bold, courageous and to make a claim. It is brutal honesty. It happens everywhere. Until we become more realistic, recognize and accept this situation we would move deeper into those things that we consider the ills of our society.

Nigeria is operating a very rotten system that allows a few privilege elites to manipulate the system including the vulnerable and unsuspecting gullible masses. They are the ones that completely messed up the system, destroyed our beloved country Nigeria, tremendously benefited from the rot and usually on bed with the power that be. How many of these people fought for the democracy they now want to comment about? We should never take any of the people from high to low position on their word or actions – it is better to go deeper.

Sadly, Nigerians blame the leaders rather than seeing that the led made the leaders. Therefore, as we approach the much anticipated election year, Nigerians need to be thoroughly educated on the selfish tendencies of our elites. The tendency for elites to use all manners of subterfuge including religion and ethnicity to continue to dominate and manipulate the unsuspecting gullible masses is very high. the manipulative use of religion, which dates back to ages, usually comes before elections, such that mundane issues outshine the main issues that should bother Nigerians.

The problem of the country is not Bassey in Akwa Ibom, it is not Kabiru in Sokoto. It is not Chukwuma in Southeast; Damilare in southwest neither is it Abubakar in the North.The problem is the politicians, the elites and we are all complicit in where we find ourselves as a nation. Therefore, we need to begin to adjust our mindsets for the reality of the soon to come Tinubu Presidency. Let’s begin to look beyond May 29, 2023. Throwing mud at Jagaban is not working. The guy is marching on. He is likely to come 1st in 25 States and come 2nd in most of the others. He is heading for a landslide victory, or if you like a mudslide victory.

Conclusively, permit my indulgence to share with us the profound words of our Nobel laureate, Akinwande Oluwole Babatunde Soyinka (WS), a Nigerian playwright, novelist, poet, and essayist in the English language. WS had painstakingly posited: “I do not say kill religion, though, I wouldn’t mind a bit if that mission could be undertaken surgically, painlessly perhaps, under anaesthesia, effectively sprayed all over the nation or perhaps during an induced pouch of religious ecstasy. “However, one has to be realistic. Only the religiously possessed or committed would deny the obvious. The price that many have paid, not just within this society but by humanity in general, makes one wonder if the benefits have really been more than the losses.”

Richard Odusanya
odusanyagold@gmail.com